Alaska Pride is a political blog dealing with issues of particular interest to Alaskans and those interested in Alaska. As Alaska's most politically incorrect blog, Alaska Pride addresses multiple issues ranging from politics, the environment, religion, and even race. I also seek to educate Outsiders about the real Alaska - why we cost more, and why it's a worthwhile investment for America.

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Tuesday, December 08, 2009

Alaska's Republican Governor Sean Parnell has attracted a serious challenger who could defeat him in the Republican gubernatorial primary in 2010. Former Alaska State Representative Ralph Samuels, who served in the state legislature from 2003-2008 and who developed a reputation for being an expert on resource issues, has tossed his hat into the ring. First announcement posted on ADN's Alaska Politics blog; now a full-scale Anchorage Daily News story as well as on KTUU Channel 2. Another Republican, Anchorage attorney Bill Walker, is also in the race.

As of December 20th, Ralph Samuels now has an official campaign website:

Samuels is currently vice president for government and community relations in Alaska for tourism giant Holland America Line. He made his announcement after a Resource Development Council for Alaska luncheon in Anchorage. Samuels has been a consistent and outspoken opponent of Sarah Palin's AGIA; Samuels was the only lawmaker to vote against AGIA.

During the luncheon, Samuels described the vote to increase oil taxes as a feeding frenzy. "As governor I'll work to encourage economic development. We'll look at the current tax structures to determine whether or not there's an opportunity to stem the recent rapid decline in oil production and oil exploration in Alaska," Samuels said.

An index of Anchorage Daily News stories is available HERE. You can find a gaggle of historical information on his legislative tenure at the AKRepublicans website and more recently on the House Majority website. In addition, several videos of speeches provide additional perspective. On November 8th, 2007, while still a lawmaker, Samuels presented a seminar on the inner workings of the Alaskan economy to the Juneau Chamber of Commerce. Videos of the presentation embedded below (hat tip to Deborah Brollini):

Analysis: Like Sean Parnell, Ralph Samuels understands that to attract business and develop Alaska economically, we have to open the state for business. Too many populist measures such as the infamous Cruise Ship Initiative and the failed Clean Water Initiative send the message to potential investors that Alaska is closed for business. The corporate wing of the Alaska Republican Party thinks Palin's populist economic measures inhibit the desire to invest in Alaska.

But unlike Parnell, Samuels understands that Alaska remains disproportionately dependent upon Big Oil, which provides 90 percent of our state's revenue. Oil production is declining, making it more difficult - and expensive - for Big Oil to engage in the secondary recovery and additional exploration necessary to keep the Trans-Alaska Pipeline flowing. So Ralph Samuels wants to reduce oil taxes enough to increase the incentive for Big Oil to continue maximizing their operations until such time as we can further diversify and grow our economy. In contrast, Parnell remains wedded to AGIA and ACES.

Samuels has a good chance to defeat Sean Parnell in the Republican primary next year.

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About Me

It's time for Americans to take America back! America has been in the hands of special interests too long. Sometimes it's necessary to set aside the labels; while I prefer the conservative solution, sometimes you gotta go to the left. Sometimes capitalism requires an occasional daub of socialism to smooth its sharper edges.